Hamas Demands UN Facilitate Attacks on Israel

ICEJ News Briefs

The Islamist terror militia Hamas issued a statement this week demanding that the UN ensure its ability to carry out violent kinetic attacks against Israel. “We reiterate the right of our people to defend themselves and to resist the occupation, by all available means, including armed resistance, guaranteed by the international law,” Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh wrote in a letter to UN General Assembly President Maria Fernada Spinosa. “The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted dozens of resolutions that affirm the right of peoples to independence, self-determination and struggle by all available means, peaceful and non-peaceful, for that right. The UN singled out the Palestinian people for dozens of relevant resolutions, including 2621, 2649, 2787 and 3236.”

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon replied by releasing a statement saying, “Hamas speaks about international law while it fires rockets into civilian populations, holds the bodies of IDF soldiers and Israeli citizens, and uses its own people as human shields. A terrorist organization going to the UN for assistance is like a serial killer asking the police for assistance. Israel and the United States will continue to mobilize the countries of the world into a united front against the terrorism that Hamas engages in on behalf of Iran.”

Here is a video about what YOUR Embassy in Jerusalem is doing to protect Israeli civlians

Ultra-Orthodox Protesters Block Traffic in Jerusalem

Several hundred ultra-Orthodox (haredi) men sat down in the middle of busy intersections and in front of train lines in Jerusalem Wednesday afternoon as part of a protest against a proposed law which would require 18 year old men from their community to serve in the IDF the way most other Jewish men in Israel do. Police arrested dozens of protesters and scuffles broke out in some locations as traffic was blocked for several hours.

Iranian Men Indicted for SamSam Hacking Attacks

Two Iranian men have been indicted by the US Justice Department on suspicion of their involvement in the “SamSam” hacking scheme which extorted tens of millions of dollars from several large corporations, hospitals, universities, municipalities, government agencies and NGOs. The Treasury Department added that it had indicted two other Iranian nationals for their involvement in schemes to launder money gleaned by the hackers.

Airbnb Facing Backlash for De-Listing West Bank Properties

Hospitality website Airbnb is facing a strong backlash against its recent decision to de-list properties in Israeli settlement communities in the West Bank. The move has led to a small but growing list of political and community leaders around the world condemning Airbnb for subjecting Israel to a standard it doesn’t hold other countries to and has also resulted in two lawsuits against Airbnb in the US court system and one in Israel’s courts.

US Continues Arming Middle East Allies

The US State Department announced on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia will buy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system from defense giant Lockheed Martin in a deal valued at $15 billion. The announcement came one day after the State Department cleared potential sales of 10 AH-64E Apache helicopters for Egypt, along with a large consignment of tank ammunition, as well as $215 million worth of Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) to the Qatari Air Force.